2007 Volkswagen GTI

Second Place: Power Toys

Adult tastes prevail here. The kids will have to find their own toy. The interior looks sober and expensive, with low-sheen padding on the dash and doors, sharply etched numerals on the dials, and polished alloy details on the shifter. A silvery GTI ingot is set into the bottom steering-wheel spoke. The front buckets are firm -- made of money is the reassuring sense of the padding -- and they fit most of us superbly. The center armrest adjusts to your elbow height. The broad dead pedal is in the perfect place. You can get the driver position just right in here.

In motion, the mood is the polar opposite of the ziggy Mini. The GTI pours itself down the road, a fluid stream of disciplined control. The body moves very little on its suspension. It has stiff legs, and the bumps pound. But your path remains unperturbed as you carve onward. Speed is easy, no sweat, a private pleasure, just you and the machine. It complies. You control. That's the deal, and it is satisfying.

The pleasures of this machine rise far above test-track numbers, but no apologies need be made for them. The GTI powers to 60 in 6.2 seconds, edging out the Sentra, tying with the Mini. Top speed, limited by a governor, is lowest of the group at 132 mph. There's a touch of turbo lag when you toe into the pedal, followed by a low pipe-organ note as the two-liter goes to work. The torque rises in a pleasing way, not so outrageously that it corrupts the steering. The shifter's throws are short and reliable. The brakes, in the VW/Audi fashion, are somewhat squishy. Skidpad grip, at 0.85 g, is a tick better than the group's average. Stopping is a few feet better than average, too.

The rear-passenger accommodations did not impress. The cushion is hard and short, with a prominent seam that reads through the trouser seat. Let's just say the GTI is not the best toy for sharing.

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